Once a salon professional, a few years ago he put down the scissors and together with his partner, ignited a sustainability movement instead. They were told it wouldn't work, but now with Sustainable Salons, Paul Frasca and Ewelina Soroko are changing the way the consumer thinks about their next salon service... and it's having a positive impact on the planet and our local communities.
Current Work
Paul now travels all around Australia and New Zealand speaking to audiences in the waste management, hair, beauty, fashion, hospitality, medical and education industries, all interested in learning how to adopt a more sustainable, innovative and - most importantly - socially-driven approach in their everyday lives and businesses.
Previous Experience
Paul started his hairdressing career at the age of 11, was a salon owner by 19, then after winning a prestigious Hairdressing Award, he headed to Europe where he styled an elite clientele for the next decade. His passion for sustainability started when he lived in Amsterdam where he met his partner Ewelina, a passionate environmentalist.
Their travels brought them to Australia where they researched salon waste and discovered that hairdressers send one million kilos of aluminium foil to landfill every year. That was the catalyst to start Refoil, the industry’s first sustainably-minded foiling concept and recycled foil product.
In 2015 the pair started an innovative resource recovery program called Sustainable Salons, which specialises in collecting up to 95% of the salon waste bin and redirecting all material for recycling and repurposing solutions. 100% of the recycling proceeds are donated to OzHarvest and KiwiHarvest to help provide meals for those in need.
In 2019, the program was named the COSBOA Small Business Champion. Sustainable Salons has also been awarded a finalist position in the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards and received three major industry awards in its first two years of operation.
Talking Points
Thinking Sustainably
Discover why the true meaning of sustainability involves people, planet and profit; and how the road to business success is via social enterprise thinking. Audiences will be inspired to adopt a sustainable mindset and will leave armed with tools to begin implementing practices that are good for the planet, great for their bottom line and transformative to the community!
Thinking Sustainably
The Future of Sustainability
How can we ensure resources and empowered people for the future? Be inspired by a message of action, instead of the all too common news of despair. Consumers are more ethically-driven and eco-savvy than ever before and they’re making choices towards a healthy planet and robust communities; find out how you can attract the conscious consumer to your business and join the ‘work in progress’ to a better future!
The Future of Sustainability
Sustainable Innovations & Green Disruptors
Dive into the world of the green disruptor - when small business takes sustainability matters into their own hands! Gain insight on why collaboration is the key to progression, when innovation is the only solution, how to BE a green disruptor in just 4 steps and why we should all SUPPORT green disruptors to truly make an impact.
Sustainable Innovations & Green Disruptors
We were excited to invite Paul to speak at our 2019 Council of Ambulance Authorities Congress with the topic 'Building Ambulance Services for 2050’. Paul was a perfect fit to share how our s ... keep reading Council of Ambulance Authorities
Paul Frasca delivered an inspiring talk at our Circular Economy industry event - Good Move. He is a powerful storyteller and his combination of business drive and sense of humour really won the audience over. I would highly recommend him for public speaking events in future
